59 points in the season opener.
FIFTY-NINE POINTS.
Going into the season, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said he wanted the NFL's all-time highest-scoring offense, meaning the 2026 Bears would mean they'd have to pass the 2013 Denver Broncos at 37.9 points per game.
Many people laughed at him. Even more reacted with skepticism.
I mean, we are talking about an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback in Peyton Manning who had ample weapons at his disposal. Johnson wants his offense to break a record set by a Peyton Manning-led group?
Yeah, I can't lie to you. Part of me wanted to laugh a little, too.
But, one week in, Johnson's proclamation doesn't look all that crazy.
Chicago scored 59 points and totaled 552 yards of offense, including 291 on the ground.
It'd be easy to say, "Well, if they do that every week, consider the record broken!" but of course, that's not realistic.
What do the Bears need to do in order to break the all-time single-season scoring record?
First and foremost, let's establish the baseline. The 2013 Broncos only scored under 30 points, in a game, on three occasions that season. They never scored less than 20.
The passing attack was on another planet, of course, with the season Manning had that year. But, their rushing attack was in the middle of the pack. That's where this Bears team could be a completely-different beast.
Let's check in on the specifics on that 2013 squad, real quick.
Total Yards Per Game | Passing Yards Per Game | Rushing Yards Per Game | 40+ point games | 50+ point games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
457.3 (1st) | 340.3 (1st) | 117.1 (15th) | 6 | 3 |
The intriguing thing, here, is the fact that the Broncos scored 30 or more points 13 times that year, scoring 20, 27 and 28 points in the other three games (teams played 16-game seasons then, not 17).
They were a model of consistency, of course. The question wasn't if the Broncos were going to score 30 points -- it was, rather, how soon it would take for them to pass that number.
Last season, the Bears scored under 30 points in 12 of 17 games. Sure, they were the ninth-highest scoring team in the NFL at 25.9 points per game. But this year, they'll have to be far and away the No. 1 scoring team in the league -- and that still might not be enough.
The Los Angeles Rams led the NFL in scoring last year, at 30.5 points per game. They scored under 30 points in eight of 17 games—four fewer than the Bears. But the Rams also went over 40 points on three occasions, compared to the Bears' one.
Essentially, the Bears are going to have to be the 2025 Rams, all while scoring an extra touchdown per game.
Back to the rushing attack, which I firmly believe the Bears hold an advantage in over the 2013 Broncos.
What we saw the Bears do in Week 1 against the Panthers was an outright thrashing on the ground. To start the season with 291 rushing yards in a single game is downright hilarious.
If you're a Panthers fan, it's not too funny.
But nearly 300 yards on the ground? That's remarkable.
Will Caleb Williams throw for over 340 yards per game like Manning did in 2013?
If we're being honest, probably not. Heck, if that's the bar, he's already behind having thrown for 269 in the opener.
The Bears' key to breaking the 2013 Broncos record lies in their back field
But these Bears can run all over their opponent. Chicago was the third-best rushing team last year, averaging over 144 yards per game, and in Year 2 of Ben Johnson's offense, it is perfectly fair to expect that number to rise, along with the passing numbers, for that matter.
Those 2013 Broncos averaged 457 offensive yards per game.
Can the Bears average over 175 rushing yards per game?
If they can, then Williams would have to average about 275 passing yards per game in order for the Bears to get to 450 yards.
175 rushing yards per game seems out there, but the Bears did go for over 150 on six occasions last year.
They went for over 200 on three occasions, with two of them being far closer to the 300-yard mark (283 against Cincinnati and 281 against Philadelphia).
This Ben Johnson offense accomplished a lot in just one year. Let's not gloss over the point that has been hammered over and over again: this is a difficult offense to learn and Caleb Williams felt like he was drowning in Year 1.
What we saw on Sunday, albeit just one game so far, was a different animal of an offense. Everything moved far more smoothly -- and imagine if they get the penalties cleaned up!
Williams, Johnson and company are a lot more equipped to attack this goal. It's a lofty one, for sure.
But if the Bears are blessed with enough health and this offense leaps, as we believe they have, judging by what we saw against Carolina, maybe they can shock the football world.
The 2026 Bears have their sights set on Peyton Manning. Crazy?
Read more: Bears rookies offer more hope than vets after Jaylon Johnson's Week 1 disaster
Not as crazy as you think.
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